Six Years After - Chapter 9 - Strawhat_Pirate (2024)

Chapter Text

Third person pov

For once in his life, Naruto's honestly got no idea what to say.

The silence is borderline awkward, tension seeming to rise with every rock of the boat. What do you even do in a situation like this? Are there truly any words to encompass it? If there are, Naruto is completely open to ideas. Absolutely nothing else is coming out of his mouth otherwise.

He taps his fingers against the wood edge of the boat, staring out at the seemingly endless body of water in front of him. Idly, he turns around to look behind him, but nope-- it's endless that way too. They are officially in the middle of buttf*ck nowhere.

The sun rising over the murky horizon is the only tell of what happened. Well, aside from the obvious fact that he's in a boat andnotpassed out on the floor of Tazuna's home, kicking Kakashi in his sleep and making his injury ten times worse. Naruto had only been sort of serious when he talked about "accidentally" making his way to Uzu.

Funny how that works out. Naruto peers up at the sky, squinting slightly. He can't see Kurama, but he can vividly imagine the face he's probably making right about now. Lips curled inwards, ears laid flat, eyes narrowed slightly. Barely holding on by a thread.

"...Did you sleep walk to Tazuna's f*cking boat and take off?"Kurama asks after a length silence, even though they both know that'sdefinitelywhat happened.

"And neither of us noticed a thing." Naruto nodded. They'd been too busy squabbling and debating more about cursed seals. Go figure. "You think it'll rain? Or is dehydration going to be what takes me out?"

The ocean was remarkably calm for supposedly being too treacherous to risk sailing. A point in their favor. A very, very small point, but still a point. Naruto's willing to take what he can get, even if the sky is looking suspiciously dark.

There's nothing on the boat, sustenance or navigational wise. Not that a map would be much help at this point. Naruto's got no f*cking clue where they are. The sun is a small indication, but nowhere near enough for Naruto to pin down even a relative guess as to where they've drifted. How long have they been out here?

"You've never sleepwalked."Kurama had the barest hint of hysteria in his voice, clearly driven a step closer to insanity by the situation."Never! This-- you're not even coordinated enoughawaketo unmoor a boat from a dock, even one as pathetic as this one. You're seriously telling me you did it unconscious?"

"Hey." Naruto protested half-heartedly. He was kind of right. It's a miracle he didn't drown and wash up downstream somewhere.

Kurama continued to ramble on. Naruto figured it was probably best to just let him get it all out. He could totally see where the fox was coming from. He has no idea what's going on, or how it's going on, or where they're even going. Though he does have a vague idea.

Honestly, he should be panicking. Naruto's not typically one to freak out, but this is like, some next-level what the f*ck, you know? He'sliterallyin the middle of nowhere, stranded on a rickety boat with nothing but Kurama, his jumpsuit, and some vague hope that maybe the ocean will take him to where he needs to go before he starves.

Naruto squinted at the waves. He could probably find a way to cook a fish on this tiny, super flammable boat without killing himself, right? Totally. Naruto is like, super capable when it comes to keeping himself alive. Kind of.Mostly.

Overhead, lightning flashes across the sky, thunder booming loud after it. Naruto purses his lips slightly. Inside his head, Kurama gives a slightly hysterical laugh.

"This is it. This is where you finally die."He sounds absolutely disbelieving. This must've been his last straw."Out on a boat. In the middle of nowhere. And I'm going to have to listen to you whine about it every second of the way."

Naruto, who'd just been about to open his mouth to complain he was hungry, cleared his throat. He sniffed as the wind gusted by, the boat rocking precariously as it did. The grey clouds overhead gave another mighty rumble, the smell of rain nearly lost in the overwhelming scent of sea salt.

"Well, at least my death won't be from dehydration or anything." Naruto reasoned as he observed the weather. If anything, it'd be from a massive, pissed cyclone, since the ocean didn't seem to like people. "On an unrelated note, do you know what to do during an ocean storm when you're on a boat that looks like a firm kick could make it fall apart? Because I'm pretty sure the rain is going to fill it up, and I totally don't have a bucket to scoop water out with, believe it."

Kurama let out a tired, tired sigh. Cold against Naruto's skin, the first drops of rain began to fall.

~~~~

The tension in the room is so thick it's practically suffocating. Sasuke very pointedly doesn't look at the unconscious form of their teacher, gaze focused off to the right somewhere. Sakura sits on their teacher's others side, fingers drumming anxiously on her thigh. Neither of them say anything.

They had lookedeverywhere. Literally everywhere. If there was a place to check, they'd checked it. Sasuke had even walked the water, looking for signs of orange on the shore or floating atop the precarious waves.

It was only a heavy downpour of rain that sent him trudging the six miles back, the sheets of falling water too thick to reliably see through, evenwithhis Sharingan on. Count on Naruto to somehow go missing within the span of a single night, seemingly off the face of the entire f*cking island.

It wasn't a big one, the houses tightly packed and the woodland areas small. Asking around, nobody could recall seeing a moron with bright blond hair running around in borderline neon orange. That, paired with Tazuna's conspicuously missing boat, painted a pretty sh*t picture.

If Kakashi were awake, he could summon a dog or something. At least then they'd have a better lead than just a missing boat, whichapparentlycould've drifted off all on its own. According to Tazuna, it wasn't uncommon for the waves to rip them from their docks and carry them away, ever aggressive.

Sasuke wished he could believe that. Aside from the idiot taking the boat and launching off, the only other viable explanation was that his feral clone had come back out of the brush and dragged him off as a midnight snack. It was a tempting conclusion to draw-- the only hole in it was that Naruto's screams probably would've woken up half the town.

"...I just don't understand why he'd run off." Sakura finally said, voice coming out tight and sharp. "Naruto would never abandon a mission. Something-- Something else must've happened. Maybe someone found out we were here and they took him!"

Well. The idiotcould'vegone out of the house on his own and gotten his ass taken that way. There'd be no signs of a struggle inside, in that case. The rain would've washed any other remnants away by now.

"Tazuna's boat is missing. It didn't storm last night. You saw how calm the waves were." Sasuke bites the words out sharply, scowling as he does. He ignores the way Sakura flinches as he does. "We didn't find any blood or evidence of a fight. That moron probably ran off."

It would be just like Naruto to get some idea in his head and go with it. Worse, the fox might've convinced him. Finally out of the village on his first mission-- it would be the perfect time to lure him off. For all that Naruto insisted the fox was quote-on-quote "good" now, how were they just supposed to believe that?

"But why? Where would he go?" Sakura stressed. Sasuke frowned.

He knew a lot about Naruto. Not as much as Shikamaru or that kid with the bowl cut, but they'd grown up with one another. Naruto was a firecracker, spontaneous and willing to jump into the heat of whatever new and exciting thing he was faced with without considering the consequences. He was bright, lively, and--

Stupid. Irrevocably, horrendouslystupid.

"Who knows with that idiot. For all we know, he saw the moon starting to rise and decided he wanted to try and sail to it." Sasuke scoffed out derisively. "The ocean is going to rip him apart, if it hasn't already. There's no telling where it carried him off to. No matter what way he went, he's long gone by now. Besides--"

Between them, Kakashi let out a choking wheeze, cutting Sasuke's grumbling off abruptly. Immediately, the two genin tensed, looking down at the man in near perfect sync. He'd opened his right eye and was blinking wildly, hazy gaze darting between Sakura and Sasuke both.

They didn't dare move, noses scrunched up. Was he supposed to be awake this soon? Or did he have some superhuman level of resilience that had woken him up? Actually, talking about Naruto's potential drowning had probably been the thing to rouse him. If anything was going to bring Kakashi Hatake back from the brink of death, it'd be that.

Naruto was, unironically, probably fine. Sasuke's not saying that because he's an optimist, but instead because Naruto is like... well, a co*ckroach. Something isalwayshappening to him, it's almostalwaysdeadly, and he'salwaysperfectly fine. This probably won't be any different.

"N-Naruto." Kakashi wheezed out, brows furrowing. He looked distressed as he tried to lean his head up, obviously searching for him in some vain hope that maybe he'd misheard them. "Missing?"

His voice sounded like sandpaper grating on stone. Sakura's grimace deepened. Sasuke grunted.

"He, uh-- we think he maybe... got on a boat and sailed off in the middle of the night?" Sakura offered weakly, the statement coming out as more of a question. Sasuke grunted again. Kakashi groaned, head thumping back on his pillow.

"f*ck." Kakashi sounded pained. The silver-haired man paused briefly. "...Don't...Don'ttell the Hokage."

Of coursethat'swhat he'd be worried about. Sasuke doesn't know why the hell he thought otherwise.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, apparently. A tap on the window had Kakashi tensing like he was ready to fly up and run for his life, his entire body coiling in a way that had to be painful with his injury. Sakura yelped, jumping. Sasuke scowled.

One of the Hokage's falcons was there, a scroll tied to its leg. It looked disgruntled to be out in the rain. Sasuke raised a brow, standing up to let it in. They'd only been here around a day, and the Hokage was already sending word? Sometimes, Sasuke swore he was more dedicated to his son than to the village.

"Kakashi-sensei, Naruto ismissing. I don't think keeping it from his dad should be our top priority right now." Sakura tried to say it delicately, but instead it just came out haughty. "I mean, do you even hear yourself? He could be dead!"

Kakashi snorted, and... yeah. Yeah, that just about summed it up, didn't it?

~~~~~

"It's just now occurring to me that I didn't tell anyone that Zabuza's totally alive before I got taken!" Naruto calls out over the heavy downpour. It's by the grace of the chakra in the soles of his feet that he doesn't go flying off the boat, which bobs over the waves violently. "Do you think he's going to like, kill them or something?!"

"Shut the hell up and keep shoveling!"Kurama hollers back at him snappishly. Touchy."And you weren'tkidnapped, you moron! You did this to yourself!"

"Did not! Sleep took me." Naruto denied, scooping up some more water and tossing it overboard. Not that it was doing much. How they hadn't sunk or capsized yet, he wasn't sure. "If I wasn't conscious for it, I constitute it as kidnapping. Even if that kidnapping was done by myself."

The clone that had transformed into a bucket for him to use couldn't verbally say anything, but Naruto got the distinct impression that it was agreeing with him. Kurama let out a long groan that made him sound like he was in pain. Naruto ignored him with practiced ease.

It just... wasn't. There was areasonNaruto hadn't sunk yet. He wasn't entirely positive of what that reason was yet, but he had this strange sense that maybe he wasn't being eaten by the ocean as so many others in the past had been. It wasn't taking him to keep, but rather bringing him somewhere else. The water cradled his ship, seeming intent to keep it upright and afloat no matter how much water he let get into it.

It was harsh, andviolent, but they were sailing it. There was mercy in the way the water soaked into his jumpsuit and sloshed around his feet. There was something almost smooth about their rolling through the great peaks of saltwater.

They moved fast. Swept away in the chaos of the storm, they were a pinprick in an endless, tumultuous blue. Thunder boomed and lightning crackled, sometimes flashing down too close for comfort. Naruto could feel his chakra tingling, humming in his fingertips and up all four of his limbs. It felt like it was twisting up around his spine, keeping him upright.

He didn't know if Kurama could feel it. The fox seemed far more panicked than Naruto did about all of this, hissing curse words to himself and giving Naruto short, stressed commands. Lean your weight this way, or that way. Shovel water out there-- never mind that it was raining, and the water seemed to fill up faster than Naruto could ever hope to get rid of it.

Adding another clone to help seemed like pushing their luck on balance. Besides-- anytime the boat got too full of water, they conveniently seemed to hit a bump in their watery road, sending half of it out. It happened every time, so much so that it couldn't be a coincidence.

The wind was whispering again. It was getting louder and louder, to the point that Naruto knew for a fact he wasn't imagining it anymore. Rays of hesitant sun poked through the clouds, painting warm patches in the dark that their boat almost seemed to follow, skipping from light to light like it was a guiding force.

Knowing how f*cking weird his life is, it probably was. Naruto was honestly just along for the ride at this point.

"None of this was worth it."Kurama grumbles out, barely audible even in his own head. The roar of the waves was fierce."We should've let that kid live and die in slavery like his ancestors before him. Since when is it our f*cking problem?"

Yeah, since when was it? Wait, no-- slavery is wrong. Justice must be served... or something. Free the children. That's what they're doing this for, right? That, and friendship? Lee never asked Naruto to do anything. He could do at least this much for him.

No one should have to live under the expectation and restraints of others, and especially not against their will, with no hope of escape. Naruto's committed himself to getting that seal off. If he gets to learn some more about his heritage in the process? Bonus points.

Assuming Uzu is where he's going. Who knows.

"At least we get bragging rights for being the first to step there since like, forever." Naruto grunted as they went over another wave, hard. "Ifthat's where we wash up. Alternatively, we could be sailing into certain doom, lost at sea forever! Believe it!"

"Don't sound so happy about that."Kurama sounded disgusted with his go-getter attitude, but you know what? A wise man once said that it sucks to suck. And that wise man was Naruto.

More wind whistled past, the distinct murmur of his name curling through it this time, clear as a ringing bell. Lightning arches overhead like the roots of a tree reaching down towards him, far enough away that they don't hit their mark, but close enough for him to feel their charge.

There is energy in the air. Anticipation builds around him like the walls of a building, and within it, Naruto feels untouchable by the danger of the storm. This is where he'ssupposedto be. This is what's been tugging at him for weeks now, spurred on by his sudden need. Neji or not, this was always going to happen.

Naruto makes his own fate, and he's going to help Neji make his. Answering this call is a choice he makes. Naruto's ears are open. He's never been the best at listening, but for this he can make an exception.

"...Hey, do you think I'll get the ability to wield lightning chakra if I get struck by lightning?" Naruto wondered aloud after a few moments of silence. Kurama's heavy sigh was answer enough.

~~~~

The Uzumaki were notjustworshippers of the sea and all it had to provide, were notjustbeloved by it. They were masters of it, of its waters and the navigation of them. Whilst their specialty lied in seals, they were clever in the crafting of other things too.

Their proficiency in the construction of ships had been only offhandedly mentioned by Naruto's mom. Something she spoke of in passing, brushing it off as a menial detail of their identity. Perhaps it's because she left too young to truly experience the art, or perhaps sealing really had been the forefront of everything the Uzumaki were. Either way, Naruto finds himself floored when the first vessel comes into view.

The water has calmed. The rain is down to a slight patter, weighing down the blonde spikes of Naruto's hair and making his headband feel heavy against his forehead. A thick fog has rolled in, making it near impossible to see more than a two dozen or so feet in any direction. The waves gently carry him, and Naruto just has to trust that he's being brought the right direction.

The silence is almost deafening. The lapping of the water becomes white noise, leaving nothing else in its wake. Even Kurama seems to have a new tension in him, not a word escaping him or Naruto as their boat is carried forward by a seemingly invisible force. They both know they're close-- which really shouldn't be possible, honestly.

It should've takendaysto reach Uzu. The fact that they're so close now-- close enough for Naruto to feel it in his bones and behind his teeth-- is a testament to the severity of the storm they went through. Hours spent propelled faster than any wind could've taken them, bouncing from arch to arch of sea.

At first, Naruto thinks he must be imagining the loud creaking noise. The sound whines and groans, almost like an injured animal. It isn't until Kurama's hackles raise that he realizes that no, that noise really is there. And it's getting closer.

"Are we about to die?" Naruto asks, squinting in to the fog for any sign of the noise's source. Kurama scoffs.

"You only ask that now? Are you serious?"Kurama sounded disgruntled."I am the only reason you've lived this long. The only reason. Without me, you'd be cold in the ground right now."

Absolutely correct. Naruto would be so incredibly dead without Kurama that it's not even funny. That, however, does not answer his present question.

Before Naruto gets the chance to smarmily repeat it, something breaks through the fog. Massive, carved out of wood bleached by the sun, the intricate shape of a lion lunging out towers over him, casting a heavy shadow over him and his pathetic excuse for a boat. It is the bow of a ship, big and colored in chipping, worn paint.

"Oh." Naruto's not ashamed to say his voice comes out a squeak. The massive ship gives another groan, drifting forward. It's angled in such a way that they'll only just barley skirt by it. "sh*t."

"sh*t."Kurama agrees flatly, sounding unimpressed for some reason. Probably because he's a loser. Naruto doesn't know. He's too focused on this to ask.

It's bigger than literally any boat Naruto has ever seen in his entire life. Not that he's seenmany, but still. Naruto cranes his head to take in the sheer size of it, boggling at the intricate carvings etched into the ship's side. They're seals, though he only recognizes certain layers of them. The rest are lost to him-- a testament to how much he still has to learn.

They're... they're magnificent. Painted in bold colors that have only just faded in the sun, they are still unabashedly bright. Vivid hues swirl across the strong wood that makes the ship up, and Naruto realizes somewhere along the way that this particular vessel must've been fashioned for war. The gunports in the hull tell him that much.

It's amazing. One of the most amazing things Naruto has seen by far. He takes in the artistry put into it and awes. This wasn't a boat that sought to sneak up on others, to blend in. It was a contrasting beacon to the dreariness and the blue around it, adorned by a tattered sail with the remnants of Uzu's bright red swirl proudly emblazoned on it.

Naruto could hardly imagine how powerful they must've been to be thatloudabout it. And he could only imagine the terror enemies felt, seeing that kaleidoscope of colors breach the horizon. Taking in this ship, aimlessly drifting around the outskirts of Uzu even after all this time, Naruto thought he understood why so many might come together to take them out.

The people of Uzu had been a threat. And even in death, they still were. The ocean carried out that will.

"Did they--" Naruto cleared his throat when it came out croakier than he meant it to. "Did they have a lot of ships?"

Kurama was quiet for a moment. Naruto wasn't sure if he was being judged or if the fox was just thinking. He was too busy twisting around to stare after the boat as it sunk back into the fog, passing by him harmlessly. It was deadly quiet save for the agony of the wood, mildly warped from lack of care.

"Uzu was better known for their exploits, but that's mostly because they were the unchallenged masters of the ocean. In my memory, nobody contested them on the water-- and anyone who did met a swift end."Kurama sniffed a bit."Nobody could construct vessels as they could. I do not know much about the way humans build their modes of transport, but I know it's not usual for cannonballs to bounce off wood like a rubber ball off a wall."

The seals. Barriers, or something repelling. Naruto wished he'd gotten a better look.

"That's so badass." Naruto couldn't quite keep himself from grinning. There was an odd ringing in his ears. "I want to build a ship. Can we build a ship?"

"Do you know anything about physics?"Kurama asked sarcastically. Naruto squinted."And before you ask, hell no. I'm not giving you a crash course in naval architecture."

Wow. Quitter talk. Whowouldn'twant to build a warship as a little side project? After getting that seal off Neji's forehead, Naruto was going to have so much free time. He would need something to fill the void, or else he'd inevitably get entrenched in something he wasn't supposed to.

"You won't do it, or you can't do it?" Naruto leaned back, squinting. He dropped his voice slightly, shifting-- his clothes were still damp, sticking to his skin uncomfortably. Salt water chafes. "Oh, wait. No, no, it's okay. I guess you can't knoweverything. I'll just pick a book up on it sometime. I bet Uzu has like, tons. Since you can't help me. Believe it."

Kurama growled, launching into a lecture almost immediately. Naruto's lips curled.

~~~~

Kakashi is having a day.

First, Naruto's clones jump into the fray of the fight and almost kill all of them. Apparently one got away, though hereallydoesn't want to think about the implications of what that means right now. A feral version of Naruto, running around in the woods, resistant to being expelled and possibly mauling innocent civilians? That sounds like a recipe for...

Nope. No, not going to think about it right now. Kakashi will think about it the day he inevitably has to testify in court and not a day sooner. Right now, he's more focused on the fact that Naruto himself... apparently isn't here.

It is horrifying. More horrifying than the demon brothers turning this C-rank into a B-rank, and more horrifying than Zabuza coming in after and shifting it into A-rank territory. At least Kakashi coulddealwith that. This, though? He's going to need to switch back to weekly sessions with Ayumu at this rate.

"So he came to sleep in here." Kakashi repeats for the millionth time. "And when you got up this morning, he was just...gone? Without a note or a preceding, very loud incident of some kind?"

"Yes." Sasuke answers drily, looking more unamused by the second. Kakashi purses his lips beneath his mask, gaze sliding to the messy, skewed bedroll next to him. It corroborated the story, but...

"We've been over this, Kakashi-sensei. He's gone, and Tazuna-san's boat is missing. He didn't even take anything with him." Sakura sounded genuinely distressed. Kakashi had sort of thought she hated Naruto. "Ithink he was taken, Sensei. Naruto would never abandon a mission!"

Well.Neverwas a really strong word. The list of stuff Narutowouldn'tdo was a lot shorter than the list of stuff he would.

Kakashi drummed his fingers anxiously. He wanted desperately to go back to sleep and pretend this wasn't happening, but unfortunately the responsibility of being a teacher had been bestowed (read: forced against his will) on him. Being in charge of Naruto inside the village was one thing. Being in charge of him outside of it?

Literally a living nightmare. One he's walking right now. And the letter from Minato, bubbly and full of adoring inquiries to Naruto about how the mission is going, only makes it all the worse. Hecan'tknow.

"...Okay. Okay, new mission." Kakashi took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. It did nothing to alleviate the ache in his temples. "First, under absolutely no circ*mstances can the Hokage know that Naruto is missing. Not now, not later, notever. We will be eviscerated where we stand, likely by an uprooted tree. I may not have much will to live left dealing with you brats, but that isnothow I'm going out."

"An uprooted tree?" Sakura asked before she processed the rest of what he'd said, blinking rapidly. "Wait, are you telling us tokeepsomething from the Hokage? But--"

Kakashi held up a hand, silencing her. She clearly didn't understand the stakes and he wasn't willing to explain them right now.

"Eviscerated." Kakashi reminded, with emphasis. "Second, we have to find Naruto. At all costs. Likely, he will show up on his own at the last second, half dead and potentially with some enemy-turned-friend he found and reformed on the way back. Until then, wehaveto keep up the guise of him not being missing."

Sakura looked like she sucked a lemon. Sasuke looked like he maybe understood, but also like he maybe didn't care. Fine by Kakashi. He didn't give a sh*t. As long as word didn't get back to Minato-sensei that Naruto was missing, he really didn't care what they did or thought. This wasn't a surprising situation, but it was a dire one.

If Kushina found out Naruto was missing? She'd shrug. She'd be fine. Maybe a little, mild freak out, but she had faith in her son. Naruto always defied odds and survived. With Kurama unsealed on his side, it was practically a law of nature that he'd bounce back from whatever was thrown his way.

Minato-sensei, on the other hand? His entire mental health and general existence hinged on his son. He would lose his f*ckingmindand they all knew it. The reins of sanity would slip from his hands, and he would implode into a devastated ball of potential destruction that would likely result in another great war, because Minato pointing fingers of blame would be unavoidable.

He was already spinning like a top over Naruto leaving the village. If he thought this mission went anythinglessthan perfectly and without a hitch, they were all going to be toasted into a crisp, buttered, and served sliced. No exceptions made.

Naruto was fine. When was henotfine? Well, aside from that time he died, but that was a one-off sort of situation. He was older now and he had Kurama. For as grouchy as the fox was, he wasn't about to let anything happen to his host.

Kakashi ran his hands down his face, taking a deep breath. This was fine. Minato-sensei didn't have to know. It wasn't that serious yet, right? Right. There was no blood found, no severed limbs, no signs of a fight. If Narutohadbeen taken, he would've been as obnoxiously loud about it as possible.

They could do this. He'd send the dogs out as soon as he had the energy to summon them and they'd figure out where he went. If he did sail off alone like Sasuke said, then that at least meant he probably went willingly. That implied he'd come back-- though, tracking him down to drag him off would be a pipe dream in that case. There was no telling what direction he went.

"Okay. Alright." Kakashi dragged his hands down his face again, looking at his other two students tiredly. "Do either of you know how to fabricate Naruto's handwriting? Because if we don't get a letter back to Minato-sensei today, he's going to be here before the sun rises tomorrow."

Sasuke made a face, which he was going to take as a yes. Kakashi wondered if Tsunami had any paper they could borrow.